Formula One news

Alonso targets qualifying improvement

Fernando Alonso fought to a better than expected fourth place finish in the Australian Grand Prix, after qualifying eleventh. Heading to Malaysia the Spaniard is in good spirits but targeting a better qualifying performance from his car as the major area for improvement.

"I think that we must certainly improve our performance level on a single lap in qualifying so that we can be in a better position on the grid to make things easier in the race," said Alonso. "Then it is important to have good consistency so that we don't lose ground and can start to move forward. This is what we must keep in mind during the practice sessions on Friday in Sepang."

"The Melbourne result is very important for the team and it gives us confidence and extra motivation to continue working hard," added the double world champion. "We know that we made the most of unusual circumstances, but we still had to be in a position to do that. However, this is only the first race and we must still make progress to get on terms with the pace of the other teams. There is work to do, but the result in Melbourne gives us all the belief that we can get there."

He went on to warn rivals that he will be stronger at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix. 

"Sepang really is my favourite track," Alonso added. "I took my first pole position there in 2003 with Renault, and I have won this race twice. It's a circuit that I enjoy and I always tend to attack a little bit more. I hope that this year I will be able to do well and I'm really looking forward to the race."

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